The AIDS Plays Project is reviving and republishing the theatrical works of writers whose lives were cut short by HIV/AIDS-related illnesses.
We are releasing their plays from the archive and returning them to the stage in one-off performances starring award-winning actors, writers and drag artists. Striving for cultural recovery and repair, we seek to mend the connection between these trailblazing writers and a younger generation of artists and audiences in the UK.
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Exactly how far have you gone with this - spook?
The world premiere of Alan Bowne’s erotic comedy Spook, written in 1985.After the death of their aunt, cousins Eleanor and Lolly inherit a rambling house on the Massachusetts coast. Legend says it’s haunted by the ghost of an eighteenth-century smuggler. And soon enough, a handsome young man begins appearing in their beds at night, eager to seduce them.
Before long, Eleanor, Lolly, and even their uptight local Christian minister, Mr. Butts, are all vying for the spook’s erotic attentions. But as the reason for his haunting emerges, it’s clear he’ll stop at nothing to get what he wants.
Alan Bowne was a playwright and novelist from California, renowned for writing about “the scraggly underbelly of life” (Interview). He began writing at the age of 35, authoring hit plays such as Beirut, Forty-Deuce, and Sharon and Billy. He passed away from HIV/AIDS-related illnesses in 1989. Many of his plays - including Spook – went unperformed during his lifetime.
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Since establishing our project in 2023, we have staged plays by trailblazing writers including Charles Ludlam, Harry Kondoleon, Robert Chesley, James Kirkwood and Colm Ó Clúbhán. From a drag-heavy riff on ‘La Traviata’ to a tender tragedy about phone sex, a bisexual comedy once booed off Broadway to a searing exploration of queer life in 80s Ireland, we unearth hidden gems from history and return them to our queer community.
Each production is accompanied by memories, tributes, and interviews with the writer’s surviving friends, family, and loved ones. Together, we’re building an online archive to carry the legacies of these writers forward.
On World AIDS Day 2024, we partnered with the UK AIDS Memorial Quilt for our production of ‘Christmas on Mars’. Several panels from the quilt—bearing names like Ian Charleson and Nureyev—formed the backdrop to Harry Kondoleon’s haunting exploration of love and loneliness in 80s New York.
Photo: Jake Bush
As our project continues to grow, we’re now working to bring these plays into print—some for the very first time. In 2024, we partnered with Polari Press to republish ‘Christmas on Mars’ in a special edition featuring a conversation with Don Shewey. It serves as a moving tribute to one of America’s most enchanting playwrights.
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Get In Touch
alastair@theaidsplaysproject.comThe AIDS Plays Project was set up by Alastair Curtis. Our project has worked with: Elliott Adcock, Ben Allen, Max Allen, Nathan Armarkwei-Laryea, Rakie Ayola, Lewis Brown, Connor Byrne, Luca Kamleh Chapman, Cavan Clarke, Jeanie Crystal, Alastair Curtis, Florence Dobson, Liadán Dunlea, Sue Gives A Fuck, Alistair Hall, Nicky Harris, Paul Hilton, Dominic Holmes, Luke Hornsby, Orlando/Holly James Johnston, Lauren John Joseph, Florence Keith-Roach, Ms Sharon Le Grand, Syrus Lowe, Mary Malone, Taylor McClaine, Justine Mitchell, Helen Noir, Rilwan Abiola Owokoniran, Izzy Parriss, Melissa Saint, Adam Silver, Sharon Small, and Stuart Thompson.
It was commissioned by London Performance Studios and has also performed at Rich Mix.
Creative production by KIND. Design by Tom Joyes.